Tag Archives: cycling

Ok, so it wasn’t actually a Century this year. Our weekend up north to ride in the annual Bike MS charity ride for the Utah/Idaho chapter of the MS Society turned into a bit more pre-partying than expected, and it definitely had an impact on my ride.

We normally don’t participate in the ride every year. I prefer to ride every-other year so that I’m not harassing my friends, family and colleagues every year for donations. Since I earned a spot in the 150 Club last year, I decided we’d do the ride this year and planned on just self-donating the minimum so that I didn’t have to bug anyone. I ended up sending a single fundraising email to my network and pulling in nearly $1000 in a couple days, so thank you thank you thank you to all my generous friends for the support.

Col and I talked Lisa and Jer into doing the ride this year by convincing them the 45 mile leg would be a piece of cake. Col set out intending to do the 75 mile leg, and I decided to just play it by ear. In a flashback to my first year of the ride, I ended up with a bad dental problem in the days before the event, so I needed to see how it would play out once I was on the bike.

We loaded up the Jeep with our gear and bikes on Friday and headed up to Salt Lake City. Hotels in Logan were sold out, so we planned to stay in SLC and just drive up early for the ride on Saturday morning and then spend the night back in SLC again for some post-ride partying. The plan for Friday night was a low key dinner and an early bedtime since we had to be up at 4AM to head up to Logan. Yeah…right.

Lisa and Jer had never been to Lucky 13, so we took Trax down to the stadium and set out to enjoy some amazing burgers and “just one” beer. Lisa had been on a fast of sorts for the previous month, so she was enjoying her first beer in nearly 30 days. Well, as usual with the Good Times Gang, one led to four, and we left Lucky 13 not for the hotel, but for a bar. We ended up at The Beerhive until about midnight, which meant Trax wasn’t running (seriously, SLC get a clue!). We decided to get a jump on our bike ride and rented Green Bikes to get back to the hotel. Probably not the brightest idea, but it sure was hysterical.

With only 3 hours of sleep, we made the trek up to Logan, arriving a little late due to my incorrect start time and a little detour I accidentally took us on. We set out to do the 45 mile ride, but when we got to the turnaround it was still pretty early and we all felt good, so Lisa, Jer and I decided to join Col on the 75 mile ride. It was nice enough, but my mouth was really hurting which made for slow going, and I was holding the rest of the group back. Lisa had a run in with a dog (an actual run in), which was a pretty funny war story. We made the lunch stop a nice long break and eventually got back into the fair grounds around 4PM.

Cheryl and Jeanne flew up on Saturday to have a fun SLC night with us. We made it back to the hotel dirty, tired and sunburned, but they had cold beer waiting for us. We cleaned up and then went to dinner at another of my favorites, Rusted Sun Pizzeria. From there we tried out Ty Burrell’s new Beer Bar downtown. It is a really cool concept, but was so loud it made any conversation nearly impossible. We enjoyed a couple of the beer choices, then headed back to the hotel to relax.

Sunday morning we met Col’s parents and Amanda for brunch at Squatters, and then headed out. It was a liver busting weekend for sure, but it was fun to do the ride again. It’s an amazingly well supported event, and accounts for nearly all the funding the chapter receives for the year. Our little group raised nearly $2k among us, so we felt pretty good about our contribution. Thanks again to everyone who donated, and if anyone else is still inclined, my fundraising page is open until 31 July!

We spent the weekend in Logan riding in the 2013 Bike MS: Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride, which raises money for the Utah and Southern Idaho chapters of the MS Society. This was our second time participating in the ride; we did the 75 mile ride in 2011.

MPK does the ride every year, and manages to wrangle up a bunch of randoms to accompany him on the ride and the weekend in Logan. This year the group included MPK, Roger, Keith, Col and I. Col and I left SGU mid-day Friday to make the six-hour drive up to Logan. We stopped in SLC and picked Keith up and continued to Logan to meet up with MPK and Roger at the hotel. We stopped by the fairgrounds to pick up our ride packets, then hit The Beehive Grill, which serves Moab Brewery beers, for dinner and a couple drinks before turning in for an early rise on Saturday.

Col and I were determined to complete the 100 mile course this year, and fortunately due to MPK’s compulsive need to be early (and his nagging) we were toward the front for the start, which put us in a better position to make the cutoff to complete the longest course. The start was delayed by about 20 minutes due to a house on the main course. Yes…a house. Apparently someone decided it made sense to move a house down the middle of the street used to get the riders out of town at about the same time the ride was scheduled to begin. After some horrible time-filling by the emcees, the ride finally started. We were in the third wave to depart.

The course this year was modified from previous years due to some of the smaller towns along the route complaining about the riders and their behavior. MPK, Roger and Keith quickly left us in their dust, which was completely expected. As this was only my third time on my bike this year, I wasn’t anticipating a speedy day. Slow and steady wins the race in my book. Col and I skipped the first rest stop, as it was only 10 miles into the course and we didn’t feel the need for a break. While the temperature was expected to climb above 100 for the day, the morning was nice and cool and made for a pleasant ride. We did stop at the second rest station, which was in Richmond and marked about mile 23 of the course. It was sponsored by the Utah Highway Patrol and is always a fun stop with vintage cruisers and great volunteers. A quick snack and refill of the water bottles and we were back on the road.

The route winds through the foothills of the eastern portion of the valley before entering Idaho. Franklin, Idaho was the next rest stop. Another quick refill and a snack and we jumped back on the bikes. The ride took us north, and we were surprised to reach the sign indicating the cutoff for the 100 mile course. It was only 10AM, so we were really excited with our progress. We took deep breathes and crossed the road going straight…committing to the 100 mile route. Nobody (I’m looking at you, MPK) told us how hilly this 25 mile “detour” would be. While the majority of the Bike MS ride is flat(ish), this section had some pretty decent climbs, as well as a pretty fun and fast descent. We found the rest stop for this section, but didn’t linger as we wanted to make it to the lunch stop while it was still early.

We completed the 25 mile loop and turned back onto the main course heading for the next stop in Lewiston, Utah for lunch. We reached the lunch stop just before 1PM and quickly devoured sandwiches, chips and some snacks. The clouds were burning off and the temperature was climbing, so lying on the grass in the shade resulted in a short (not sure how long because at this point the iPhone was dead) nap under the trees. We saddled back up for the last 33 miles to the finish, but this stage proved to be the roughest with the hottest part of the day, no cloud cover and a route hugging the western side of the valley where little shade is available. The leg to the next rest stop was 16 miles and covered some long, gradual climbs, so we got ready for a long, hot afternoon.

We left Lewiston and quickly started burning without the protection of the cloud cover. We focussed on the beautiful Cache Valley scenery to keep our minds off the heat and our saddle weary rear ends. Logan and the surrounding towns are really in one of the prettiest places in Utah, and it’s so much fun to spend a day on the bike enjoying all the sights. We made it to the roaming water stop (which apparently hadn’t roamed at all) about halfway to the next rest top. We refilled bottles and kept moving, finishing the last big climb in good time. We cruised into Newton for the next stop, which turned out to be our favorite. The volunteers had plenty of water and sports drinks available and they were nice and cold. They had set up a misting station for riders to cool off and had a great assortment of salty snacks and fruit. They even had a pickle bar, complete with pickle juice shots! It was definitely our favorite stop.

We reluctantly left the stop and made good time to the next, and final, stop in Benson. The route was relatively flat at this point, although some parts were a bit stinky as we cruised past the pig farms. We only stayed a moment at the Benson stop, eager to kill the last eight miles and complete our first century ride! About a mile before the finish, a woman in front of us took a nasty spill on some railroad tracks. After stopping to help (there wasn’t much we could offer) we got back on the bikes and wound our way to the fairgrounds to finish. 100 miles complete!

I actually felt really good after the ride; better than I felt two years ago after doing the 75 mile ride. There was still no way I could have jumped on a bike and done the second day ride (either 40 or 75 miles), but maybe I can work that in next time. We spent the evening enjoying the awards ceremony and pool party before finding a great Mexican restaurant in Logan for a late dinner. Then it was time to hit the hay. MPK, Roger and Keith got up early the next morning for the 75 mile ride (show offs), while Col and I got back on the road for the long drive home.

My iPhone battery died about 60 miles into the ride, so I had to recreate the route. But, we figure removing rest stops and lunch resulted in a time of about 6 hours 30 minutes. I appreciate all the help from my friends and family in blowing my fundraising goal out of the water. I raised more than $1700, and overall this ride resulted in more than $1.5 million for the MS Society in Utah and Idaho. That’s really something that makes me proud, and hopefully we can continue to provide assistance to those living with MS, as well as those who are working to fight it. I know with continued support, the MS Society will End MS Forever, Restore What’s Been Lost and Stop the Disease! Thanks again.

Sometimes SLC and Utah surprise me and act like real places. Last night was the 18th annual Antelope by Moonlight bike ride. This fundraising ride raises money for Antelope Island and the state park (nearly half a million dollars over the 18 years) for improvements and education.

The course is an out-and-back from the marina to the Fielding Garr Ranch…22 miles total. I guess the course would be considered rolling hills, although parts of it to me were worse, and I was muttering cuss words as I pedaled my ass up what I considered to be mountains. It was a last minute decision to do the ride, and I had already done 17 miles riding up to meet Col at work earlier. So…I was tired. And, as a result I was a bit of a whiny bitch on the ride out to the ranch.

But, even as tired as I was and as whiny as I was being, I really did enjoy the ride. I’m not sure how many people were there, but it felt like at least a couple thousand. Kids, old people fat people. Yes…really fat people. And one of them kicked my ass on a hill, which really just pissed me off and worsened my mood. But, oh well, I totally beat him over the long haul. That’s right, Bluto (he really did look like Bluto, so I’m not just being an asshole). I may not be fast, but I can endure and finish. And yes, there’s some innuendo there.

There was a costume contest, which only included about 10 people. But, the couple who won did have a pretty damn awesome setup. They had giant Dementors on their backs. Pretty badass to ride 22 miles with that setup. There was also a bike decorating contest, but other than a dude pulling a huge arch of glow-in-the-dark balloons, they were all basically the same…$20 worth of dollar store glow sticks slapped all over the frames and spokes.

The atmosphere was fun, even though it was a Friday so there were a few Momos to act as downers. At one point I was stuck in a clog of riders where two women were talking about how inspired their bishop is and how it gives them such a testimony. Hey, can I borrow some of your Prozac?

But, just when you start to think you’re living someplace normal, UT rears its ugly head. We left the island about 12:45 AM to head home. Given the hour and having just finished a 22 mile ride, we naturally wanted some pancakes. IHOP was closed. Seriously…closed. What IHOP ever closes? Where the hell are the drunks who are just leaving the bars, tweaking crackheads, annoying high school kids who snuck out or a couple of guys on their way home from participating in a glow stick ride supposed to get some pancakes?

I registered for the annual Bike MS Utah: Harmon’s Best Dam Bike Ride, and paused when I realized how profoundly MS affects the people in my life. During registration, participants are asked how they are connected to MS with several choices. I realized I could select every option except having the disease myself. I have family, friends, co-workers and employees who battle various forms of MS.

This year I am riding between 80 and 175 miles (depending on how things go) for my mom. I can’t battle her disease for her, but I can do something to work toward a cure for those coming behind her. I hope that all my friends and family will consider making a small donation to sponsor my ride. I’m riding because it’s important, and every little bit helps.